Triceratops Segments

Triceratops6 Appearances
Presence
Freshwater (Segment 2) 1 adult (deceased) Forests (Segment 2) Several adults 1+ juvenile Swamps (Segment 5) 13+ adults 3+ juveniles North America (Segment 4) Several adults 2+ juveniles Why Did Triceratops Have A Frill? Stock footage from North America Triceratops Forest Several adults 1+ juvenile

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Segments

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“ A journey through an underground cave in North America turns perilous when a young Triceratops is separated from its mother. ”

― The official Apple TV+ episode synopsis for Forests

These are Prehistoric Planet segments which feature Triceratops.

The skull of a Triceratops, with the skulls of a Quetzalcoatlus, Mosasaurus, Barbaridactylus, and a smaller Triceratops skull in the background, appears in the opening of every episode of Prehistoric Planet's second season.

Freshwater

	Freshwater, Segment II
	Setting Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

Freshwater, Segment II

Setting
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

“ T. rex are built for hunting large herbivores, and many of those have evolved heavy defensive weapons. Decades of battling armored prey has scarred his body. One battle even cost him the tip of his tail. These new injuries are more serious. At his great age, infection is a real risk. River water could help to clean his wounds. He stands a good chance of living to fight another day... but that day could come sooner than expected. ”

― David Attenborough, Freshwater

In the second segment of Freshwater, a dead Triceratops is shown, having been slain by an old T. rex, which gets up from his nap and proceeds to feed on his prey, which left a deep gash in his right leg beforehand. The theropod, having been injured by decades of fighting large prey (with one fight even costing him the tip of his tail) goes down to a nearby river to drink and wash his newest wounds.

Forests

	Forests, Segment II
	Setting Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

Forests, Segment II

Setting
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

The Triceratops herd enters a cave

In the second segment of Forests, a herd of Triceratops are seen making their way through a forest. Having eaten plants that developed toxins against them (and such toxins could severely poison the juveniles), the Triceratops journey to a cave in the mountains. While the cavern is familiar to most of the herd, who have regularly visited the cave by that point, it is unfamiliar to the youngster among them, who had to be urged to continue further in by his mother. The herd makes their way in via a passage carved over the course of thousands of years by an underground river.

The youngster realizes that he is lost

Now in the deep, dark part of the cave system, the Triceratops navigate their way blindly to their destination. Given the absence of light, the juvenile tries to stick close to his mother in order to not get lost, but in the crowded passageway, the many adults end up kicking the calf, momentarily disorienting him and causing him to lose contact with the rest of the herd. Soon, the youngster was alone in total darkness, lost in the chambers of the cave, left to stumble around blindly and cry out for the rest of the herd.

The Triceratops herd has reached a cave of mineral clay, which can neutralize the toxins of consumed plants

The herd eventually reaches a part of the cave with the sun filtering through an opening to the surface, just out of reach. It is here that the herd finds what they've come for, the special clay coating the walls of the cave, which they scrape off with their hooked beaks or horns, then consume to counteract the toxins of the plants they digested. One mother Triceratops, finally noticing that her calf is missing, calls out to him. Fortunately, the juvenile manages to make it out of the dark passage and find his way back to his mother, who promptly scrapes some clay from the wall for him to eat.

The juvenile has second thoughts regarding the consumption of clay

“ Once he's lined his stomach with clay, he too will be protected from the poisons in the leaves on which he feeds. ”

― David Attenborough, Forests

Though hesitant to eat the clay, the youngster, for the sake of his continued survival, must consume it. Eventually, the Triceratops herd will head out of the cave, back to the forest and daylight.

Swamps

	Swamps, Segment V
	Setting Hell Creek Formation, Montana - South Dakota, USA Filming Location Bog Pond, Waterford, Oxford, Maine, USA

Swamps, Segment V

Setting
Hell Creek Formation, Montana - South Dakota, USA

Filming Location
Bog Pond, Waterford, Oxford, Maine, USA

“ Here, in spring, new plant growth creates new feeding grounds for the gathering herds. But where there are large numbers of plant-eaters, there are great hunters... T. rex. The most powerful land predators on the planet. They usually ambush their prey, but with so many watching eyes, this is not the right time to attack. ”

― David Attenborough, Swamps

In the fifth and final segment of Swamps, a wetlands region, flooded all year round and turned into a lush, excellent feeding ground during springtime, attracts herds of Edmontosaurus and Triceratops. The large number of herbivores in the area, however, attracts the attention of two subadult T. rex brothers. They would prefer to ambush their prey, but with many of the herbivores already aware of their presence (including a formidable trio of Triceratops, which glare back at them while drinking from the swamp), the T. rexes postpone their attack for a better time, returning in the night to ambush and hunt down an Edmontosaurus.

North America

	North America, Segment IV
	Setting Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA Filming Location Winterfold Forest, western Greensand Ridge, Surrey, England

North America, Segment IV

Setting
Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

Filming Location
Winterfold Forest, western Greensand Ridge, Surrey, England

Several Triceratops gather in a forest clearing for their mating season

“ Further north, the Rocky Mountains are still slowly rising. And as they do, they create higher, cooler landscapes where vast pine forests flourish. As spring arrives, strange calls echo through the trees. The mating season has arrived for one of North America's most heavily-armed dinosaurs. Triceratops. Every year, large numbers of these giants gather in clearings. The females have come to choose a mate. The six-tonne males fight and display their strength. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

In the fourth segment of North America, in the pine forests further up north by the Rocky Mountains, strange calls echo. Within a clearing, a large number of Triceratops gather, with females looking for mates, and males fighting to prove which one of them is the better candidate.

A female (left) is unimpressed by the young male's display (which, being unscarred, indicates a lack of experience)

“ This young male looks to be in prime condition, showing off his meter-long horns and his colorful head frill. His horns appear perfect, not yet damaged by battle. To a female, however, the absence of any wear and tear might suggest a potentially-critical weakness; a lack of experience. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

One of the young, six-tonne males attempts to impress some females by showing off his colorful frill and meter-long horns, perfectly-shaped and undamaged. Ironically, for the females, this makes the male a subpar choice, for the lack of wear and tear shows that the male is inexperienced, not seasoned by battle.

The veteran male arrives to the mating grounds, making his presence known to all

“ These gatherings are crucial events in the lives of Triceratops. They provide the best chance in the whole year for the adults to become parents. And young hopefuls are not the only ones here. A 30 year-old male, weighing more than 10 tonnes. If there's one thing that he has in spades, it's decades of wear and tear. He may be old, but he's still strong enough to challenge a young rival, however fit. The stakes are high, and neither is willing to back down. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

Just then, a 30 year-old male, weighing over ten metric tons, walks in, his experience clear in his massive physique and impressively-long horns, with his right one longer than his left. Challenging each other to a duel, the younger male with the perfect horns and the veteran clash, locking horns repeatedly.

The veteran (left) uses his ten-tonne mass to push back his rival

“ The veteran has a four-tonne weight advantage... and the skill to make it count. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

Even so, it is clear that, in the struggle, the veteran has full control of the battle, using his greater mass to push the younger male back, while the younger male is unable to hold off the veteran. As they continue to lock horns, the veteran uses the skill he mastered through decades of experience to lift his rival up by the face and throw him to the ground.

The veteran successfully attracts a mate with his flawless victory

“ The youngster's horns are no longer perfect. The old bull's fighting prowess certainly seems to have impressed this female. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

When the dust settled, the younger male stood back up, the tip of his right horn snapped off and on the ground, along with his aspirations of getting a mate. The veteran proceeds to drive him off before attracting and mating with a female that witnessed the fight. The young male, with his horns no longer perfect, walks away, his chances for that year's mating season gone. Even so, there is the hope that, with this damage, he can attract a female next mating season, for he now has proof of having faced battle, regardless of whether it went his way or not.

The young male watches on in defeat before leaving

“ For the loser, the mating season is over. However, his newly-won battle scars may be just enough to attract a female next time the herds gather here to mate. ”

― David Attenborough, North America

It is even possible that, when he grows older and his left horn has healed, he'll end up being just like his opponent, a grizzled, ten-tonne veteran with longer horns, the right one longer than the left, a sign of great experience.

Uncovered: Why Did Triceratops Have A Frill?

	Why Did Triceratops Have A Frill?
	Subject The overall function of Triceratops frills as display features and defensive weapons. Experts Professor Paul Barrett, Dr. Susannah Maidment

Why Did Triceratops Have A Frill?

Subject
The overall function of Triceratops frills as display features and defensive weapons.

Experts
Professor Paul Barrett, Dr. Susannah Maidment

Footage of Triceratops from Forests and North America are used for this Uncovered segment, dedicated to uncovering the reason behind why the ceratopsian developed the head frill. Even 140 years after the first fossil was found, the purpose of the massive frill is still being investigated.

Triceratops frill scars serve as evidence of the defensive function of these structures

“ These were enormous structures, so it's an enormous investment in bone and in tissue, and also in the muscular effort to hold these structures up. All of this investment must mean that these features are very important to the animal's way of life. ”

― Professor Paul Barrett, Natural History Museum

Injuries on the fossils, like lesions on the skull and bite marks left by predators on the frill appear to indicate that they were meant for defense. But there's also the possibility that they were display structures to help attract mates. In living animals like moose, huge structures like horns and antlers serve as an attractive display and an indication of great health, which in turn helps the females know which male is ideal to mate with in order to produce the best of young.

Triceratops skulls undergo drastic changes as they grow, indicating that some features marked the animal's sexual maturity

“ If it was only for defense, then we would expect to see them develop to the same degree in juveniles as in adults, but we don't. We see them being much smaller in the juveniles and not really developing into the very, very large structures of the adults until much later. ”

― Dr. Susannah Maidment, Natural History Museum

Additional proof of their use in sexual display is seen in the very heavily-grooved surfaces of the frills, which were probably meant to house nerves and blood vessels to supply the skin growing over the frills, with these large surface areas likely being brightly colored to show off to potential mates. As a structure that serves many purposes, from attacking and defending against predators and rival males to serving as a vibrant display to attract females, the frill of Triceratops would have been an "awe-inspiring sight, to friend or foe".

Prehistoric Planet Immersive: Triceratops Forest

Triceratops appears in "Triceratops Forest", the second episode of "Prehistoric Planet Immersive", a spinoff series exclusive to Apple Vision Pro (not to be confused with a new Prehistoric Planet app on the Apple Vision Pro, "Encounter Dinosaurs"). The episode, released on the 19th of April 2024, involves an intense battle between a herd of Triceratops and dromaeosaurs in the forest, and is centered on a juvenile Triceratops learning the importance of family bonds.

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A 30 year-old male (right) challenges a younger male (left)

The veteran lifts his rival up by the face to throw him to the ground

The veteran has attracted a female

Trivia

Freshwater

• Ironically, despite being the first marginocephalian that appeared in the series, Triceratops is the second animal on Prehistoric Planet that was first introduced deceased (having been slain by a T. rex before the events of the second segment of Freshwater). The first was Nemegtosaurus, shown as a moderately-sized carcass (significantly smaller than a Mongolian Titan) surrounded by four Tarbosaurus in the second segment of Deserts.
• T. rex is seen feeding on a Triceratops starting from the neck. As a study in 2012 suggests, T. rex likely focused on the nutrient-rich neck muscles behind the frill of a Triceratops (which, in life, were necessary to help the ceratopsian support the great weight of its head).

Forests

• It is justifiably plausible that, much like some animals today, Triceratops may have engaged in geophagy to protect their stomachs from the toxins of the plants they ate. In the newly-forming Rocky Mountains, it is believed that there were limestone caves during the time of Triceratops, providing possible clay lick sites for the dinosaurs.

North America

• The veteran Triceratops appears to be based on specimen MOR 3027 (nicknamed "Yoshi's Trike" after its discoverer, Yoshi Katsura), a Triceratops with horns 1.15 meters (3 feet, 9 inches) long. Accounting for keratin sheaths and the fact that "Yoshi's Trike" is not yet fully mature when it died, fully-grown Triceratops possibly had horns that grew longer than 1.22 meters (4 feet).
• Another Triceratops horridus specimen, known as "Big John", may be another possible inspiration, standing three meters (10 feet) tall, eight meters (26 feet) long, with a skull that is 2.62 meters (8 feet, 7 inches) long and 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) wide.
  • Big John is believed to have been 60 years old when it died, twice the age of the veteran male in the segment. Though the specimen bore a gaping scar on its collar (likely caused by a rival Triceratops, further supporting the use of horns in intraspecific combat), given how the traumatic lesion showed signs of healing, it is believed that this wound was not the cause of Big John's death.
• This is the ninth segment to feature intraspecific combat, and the sixth one to result in the older individual winning.
  • With this segment, Triceratops, despite being the first marginocephalian introduced, is the last of the four marginocephalians in the series shown engaging in intraspecific combat. However, one marginocephalian, the small Mongolian pachycephalosaur Prenocephale, was not involved in intraspecific combat at all (though one did engage in interspecific combat by nipping at a Tarchia).